Over 40,000 Ryanair passengers will be disrupted by July pilot strike

Ryanair pilots will strike this Thursday, in a move that will potentially affect thousands of holiday-makers.

Pilots have chosen to strike for 24 hours, beginning Thursday 12th July, in a dispute over management's approach to staff transfers between European and African bases.

The Irish Airline Pilots' Association said its members felt there was no transparent system to address matters such as transfers between the airline's European and African bases, which can have a "devastating effect on family life".

According to the BBC, 99% of Ryanair pilots voted in favor of striking, claiming that the airline does not take their demands seriously.

As July 12th is the traditional start of summer holidays in Northern Ireland, the strike is expected to affect thousands of Northern Irish travelers who plan to fly out of Dublin airport.

Ryanair has stated that it will only notify affected customers on Tuesday - two days before the planned strike. As only a small margin of of Ryanair's flights operate from Ireland, the airline claims that 93% of customers will be unaffected by the strike.

According to RTE, cabin crew in Portugal, Belgium and Spain - its third largest market - will strike for 48 hours on July 25th and 26th. Italian cabin crew will also reportedly hold a 24-hour strike on July 25th.

The cabin crew unions are demanding that Ryanair contracts across Europe be subject to local law rather than Irish law.

This comes after 1,100 flights were cancelled in May and June- resulting in disruptions for over 210,000 passengers.